Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Prisoner of War ❯ Resurface ( Chapter 11 )

Note: See rest of note in chapter ten. I don't own Gundam Wing and 1+2+1. Oh yeah, this is the weird chapter that really complicates things ^_^

Chapter Eleven

"Oi Hee-chan!" a mischievous boy bounded happily to where his friend sat quietly on the damp, concrete sidewalk, lost in his thoughts. Violet eyes beamed, reflecting the broad grin he wore on his expression. "Hey! I like that!"

"Duo?" Heero asked, turning around to face his companion. Dimmed Prussian blue depths brightened considerably at the sight of the braided child. He nearly sprang to his feet, agile limbs waving slightly, to greet the animated child with a trailing braid.

In one, intentional leap, the six-year-old landed into a giant puddle of dirty water, splashing everything within a five feet radius. The same dark blue eyes narrowed sternly as his friend only burst out in peals of laughter in response. The barest hint of a smile played at the corner of Heero's lips. `It's strange to hear me called as Heero.' It's only been a day since he had found out he was to go off to the cluster of L1 colonies, his birthplace, to train with an old scientist known as Dr. J to be a soldier. He would leave today in fact. It wasn't as if he had many friends, or a loving family, so it wasn't as if he would leave behind too much. But then there was Duo… `I'll miss him so much.'

"Hi!" he slung one arm around the crook of Heero's neck. The familiar motion brought a premature wave of nostalgia to wash over the quiet youth.

`Does he even care if I leave? What if he doesn't think of me as one of his friends?' "I have to leave soon, Duo," he reminded the boy in his usual, quiet way, locking his gaze with the one of his best friend's.

His impish face fell slightly. "Yeah… It's not like I forgot, but I guess I didn't wanna remember it. But look on the bright side… No one will ever be able to mess with you again. Even if they try and you can't fend them off, I'll come to your side and help you. I swear," he promised seriously. "You have a name now."

"You have always managed to make people feel better, Duo, haven't you?" The Japanese boy smiled slightly, almost sadly in a way. "But do you feel any better?"

"It doesn't matter," Duo forced another one of his trademark, careless grins.

"Stop pretending, Duo," he warned the youth. "Even if no one else can see past your mask, you and I both know that I can."

"Why?!" the normally happy child lashed out bitterly and unexpectedly. "It won't make things any better for either of us-" `Even my fucking best friend is leaving me, damn it!'

"Yes it will," Heero interjected the braided one's rant. "Pretending hurts, Duo. You know how much it can hurt and how hard it is to keep up. You keep it up everyday. This is the last time I'll get to see you in a while. Please don't do this to yourself. You deserve to feel real happiness."

"And I have," Duo cut in defiantly.

"Without me," he finished, hands gently grasping frail shoulders in comfort.

`He always seems to know exactly why I say something, doesn't he?' "Alright, Heero," he agreed, his front crumbling to dust, and those deep blue-violet orbs darkened, despondence reigning, clouding over his eyes.

"Everything happens for a reason. Isn't that what you have always said? I believe in that now because of you," he graced the boy with a soft smile that was elusive and rare to be witnessed yet nonetheless exquisite.

"Amethyst pools peeked upward, "I know…" he whispered, "but you're leaving . . . "

"I always be with you though," Heero chided him gently. One, small hand traced the edge of Duo's heart-shaped face. The pair was very close to one another, perhaps too close to be considered only friends, yet that was all they had thought of each other as and nothing more. Who knew of anything else at the tender age of six, surrounded by violence, hatred, and corruption?

"Heero…" the young voice cracked slightly. "You have an identity now, and hell, you deserve to have one. But-I don't have one. I mean," his orchid orbs were fixated on the puddles of dirty rainwater bestowed upon them by the looming swirls of gray clouds on the deserted street, "you're an amazing friend and person. When I first met you, did you know you pulled me out of suicide? It was suddenly, I had a reason to live for, to, well, annoy you." He laughed as his companion let loose a grin. "I know it sounds stupid, but I guess it wasn't just to annoy you. You kind of caught my attention, and I wanted to catch yours. I see you coming out of the life you have been living, and you're not bitter or anything like the people on the streets that I know. In fact, you're not like anyone I have ever known. You said all those wise things and made me realize that I wouldn't be doing anyone a favor by dying. Have you seen the oppression we live under right now with Earth Sphere Alliance? I don't know how, but one of these days, I will make them pay for all the pain they have caused the civilians. I will fight and make my life worth something, and I'll finally be someone."

"But your life is already worth a lot, and you are someone," Heero argued. "You are just as selfless as you think I am, if not more. You have protected these homeless children for so long. What would they have done without you? I never believed there was any good left in this world until I met you. I always held out some hope unwillingly, and now I know it was more than worth hoping for. You give so willingly to others, so selflessly, untouched by your surroundings. You are so brave."

"You know we haven't ever said this to each other before," Duo pointed out suddenly.

"I guess I just thought you knew already, and that you would always be there," the Prussian eyed child admitted shyly.

"Me, too," he agreed.

Eyeing the elderly gentleman traveling down the street, Heero quickly turned his attention back to Duo. "I have to go…"

"Kick some ass for me," the boy waved sadly.

"Know who you are, and never forget me," the soon-to-be soldier ordered.

"I haven't even been given a name," Duo sighed heavily, "but I will never ever forget you."

Heero fired an angry glare in the young boy's direction. "Yes, you have. You are Duo Maxwell; God gave you that name," his hand reached out to touch the golden crucifix that dangled from his neck. It was the very object that assisted in their chance meeting. The shiny cross had glittered so brilliantly, basking in the warm sunlight in the middle of the filthy sums of the city, catching both of the boys' attention.

"I thought you didn't believe in God," Duo's brow furrowed.

"I believe in you having that faith," he explained. "You are Duo Maxwell," he took a lingering breath as the man approached them. His heart pounded heavily in his chest in fear and anticipation. "You are my best friend, an incredible person," he immediately planted a chaste kiss, aiming for the apple of Duo's cheek, but instead meeting the corner of the boy's mouth. A furious blush ignited, flushing his entire face as he rapidly walked up to meet the old man. "I never forget you either," he murmured. His quiet tone always had a way of making itself heard beyond any circumstance.

For the longest moment, Duo stared thought not truly seeing the world; shock paralyzed him, watching the one person that mattered the most walking away, out of his life. The spot where those rose lips touched his skin tingled unrelentingly. They were so close yet just beyond reach. `Why do I want more? /All this time, you wanted more, needed more-/ …but even only his friendship is enough for me, now.' Suddenly, the boy donned in tattered rags broke into a furious sprint towards the dark-haired child, "Heero!" he cried, throwing himself shamelessly onto the youth, causing both to tumble to the ground.

Dark sapphires glittered in surprise, staring into the deep blue-violet orbs that shimmered with emotion. Mud streaked faces and a tangle of arms and legs with a thick, chestnut braid, the dreary, gray skies were forgotten with the rest of the world. Heavy breathing emitted above Heero, their legs intertwined. "You're my best friend and always, always will be, and I don't care how long it takes, I will find you again. I'll fight by your side. Hell, I don't care! We will meet again. Until then, don't die on me," he embraced the Japanese boy fiercely before tearing himself away. `Boy's don't cry. Boys don't cry. Boys don't cry…'

He wasn't sure when it started to rain, but the droplets of liquid poured from the sky like glistening tears, soaking them all in a sheen of water. Duo felt something warm and wet splashing against his skin. By that time, they had both stood up, facing away with a stray hand trailing behind. He turned around once more, against his will to see the six-year-old kid brushing away a solitary drop. Duo's own amethyst pools rimmed with tears, wearing a bittersweet smile.

`Was it rain, or was it Heero?' He constrained torpid legs to walk away, and eyes lusting for one last look were denied their wish. `I'll find you, Heero, no matter what. Don't you ever die on me, and you won't because I will protect you with my life. I will find a way. I love you, Heero.'

He felt Dr. J's penetrating gaze burning into him as he continued his progress. `I don't care what he thinks. He's my best friend, and I won't forget what love for him feels like.' Memories of the laughter they had shared, deep conversations, those embarrassing moments, and everything in between were recalled in a sequence of random flashbacks as he walked away. `See you around, Duo.'

"Is he your lover?" Dr. J spoke up suddenly, breaking silence, staring at the boy questioningly as he asked the blunt question.

Blue eyes widened incredulously, "No," he shook his head. "He's my best friend."

J snorted softly; "Well from the way you looked at each other, it sure seemed like you love each other."

"Yeah, of course I love him," Heero replied, puzzled. "So what?"

"Uh, never mind, Heero," Dr. restrained himself from laughing at the boy's innocence. "I suppose you never told him before," he observed quietly.

The Japanese boy stared at his shoes, "No, I haven't."

"If you were afraid he may not think of you in the same respect, you're blind."

"Really?" seeing the shy child suddenly speak up in hope, startled the old scientist.

"Well, yes," he stammered.

Heero smiled softly as the world passed by unnoticed, adding a little bounce to his steps. `It's terrible to strip anyone of his/her joy, but I have to. The only way I can is by making him forget. It will get in his way during the war just beyond the horizon. I don't know if I can do this even if I wanted to, but I sure as hell will try.' Neither of them noticed a braided child peeking out between the dark alleys, slipping in and out with expertise, wearing a genuine smile on his lips.

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Duo suddenly jerked awake, again alerting the soldier piloting the gundam. "Go back to sleep," Heero commanded he boy in monotone, not sparing another glance back at him. "You'll need to conserve your energy in case something goes wrong."

"Yeah, I know," Duo sighed. "I just had the weirdest dream, that's all."

"I told my superior what happened on my other laptop," the Japanese pilot informed him suddenly. `He deserves to know what's going on, I suppose.'

"Oh," Duo's brow furrowed, "Say Heero, did we happen to know each other when we were like six?"

"Nani?" Heero was taken back by the strange question. "No, I don't think so."

"Oh," the spark in deep amethyst seemed to dim slightly. "I just had a dream that we knew each other, and well, it seemed so incredibly real and familiar…" he laughed at himself. `Maybe we don't remember; maybe they tried to make us forget because of the war.' "There was this scientist guy there, coming to take you to L1 and train you to be a soldier or whatever. You told me his name was J or something…"

Instantaneously, Duo found his wrists clamped down along with the rest of his body, crushing against the metal of Heero's gundam. He cursed at the intense pain rocking through his body from the momentum and it's effects on his wounds. "How the fuck did you acquire that information?" a lethal, blue blaze seethed at him.

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I'm tired. I think I should go to bed before I actually fall over. And just a note of observation, I could have done better than what I have. Maybe I'm just too damn lazy to do anything about it right now. Actually I couldn't have done better then because I didn't know half the stuff I know how, so hopefully, you'll notice me improve with passing chapters ^_^ It's all gravy.